The Man With No Name
by Deltroid
Summary: On a routine mission, Annabeth stumbles upon a mysterious vagrant. He has no name...but a lot of history. His past holds the key to many hidden truths. His appearance unseats something the gods want to hide 'till the ends of time. My first work of fanfiction. Please give positive feedback, no snarky or mean comments, I always saw this as a very welcoming community.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: I had this idea kicking around my head for a while, but only now did I decide to write it down. I know it seems like most of the traditional characters don't get enough development. Bu I'm hoping to use this first "book" as an intro for this character. Enjoy!**

The Man With No Name

Annabeth

Chapter 1

"I hate walking down this path". Annabeth walked down this street every time she visited Percy, but it never got easier. Flocks of the homeless always begged down this avenue. Seeing so many reminded her of Boston, trying to find her long lost cousin. Thinking of Magnus, made her heart sink, but no, she had to concentrate. Annabeth was with Percy and Jason, trying to find a sphinx. Jason seemed especially uneasy. With his glistening, blonde hair and gold rimmed glasses, he definitely stood out from the hoodies and rumpled caps. Annabeth looked at her own clothes, and felt a sense of guilt. She was wearing a designer jacket and a bright blue scarf. Percy seemed to fit in the most, he always dressed like a wino.

"Spare change for the cold nights".

He looked like a New York city troll, with his wrinkled face covered with a gray beard that touched his feet. Awkwardly, Jason said,

"Sorry, we don't have any money".

"Well that's full of sh-t", snapped the guy next to him. When Annabeth glanced at him, she saw a truly unique site. He had one eye. The left one was covered with a ragged old cloth. On his neck were two metal plates hung by a wire, a veteran. The tags oddly looked platinum. His accent was maybe Lebanese or Israeli. With his olive skin, and thick black beard, he looked like a one eyed mullah. He was lying down, reading a faded brown book, with no title. If there's one thing you don't see, it's the homeless reading.

"You're wearing brand name clothes, combed hair-he took a brief sniff-and expensive perfume. Judging by your outfit, you obviously don't live near, meaning you also have extra money for the ride home. "

Jason, deep red, quickly clarified, "n-o, that's not what I meant".

"Hey kid, we're homeless, not idiots like you. Just tell us you don't want to give money to some dirty panhandlers, or piss off."

Annabeth grew red with anger, who was this hobo telling them off. But before she can defend Jason, Percy did it for her.

"Hey at least he had enough pity not to say I don't want to give money to some lazy bum."

The vagrant suddenly flashed a cold glare, through his one eye. For a second, Annabeth felt a deep chill down her spine. She had a feeling this guy could drop all three of them with one move.

"You think I'm her 'cuz I'm lazy. You think I like sleeping next to druggies and winos, begging for money from rich prats like you. Go cry back to your distant mommies and daddies, where the only love they ever show you is the random crap they buy you"

That did it, as demigods, parents are a sensitive subject, especially their painful absence. Without thinking, Annabeth laid it out harsh to this bum.

"At least we aren't some sad pathetic middle aged bum, bitter that his life goal is begging to 16 year olds, who'll probably make more money than you can ever imagine"

The vagabond glared at her with such rage, Annabeth was prepared to make a run for it. But then they met eye to eye, and his face changed from anger to sadness. She could see a deep pain in his eyes. He looked at her, as if he...he knew her. To her shock, he apologized.

"I'm sorry, you're right. Who am I, an adult, picking on a couple of kids, with all the opportunity of the world. I'm just bitter I screwed mine up. My apologies. I'm sorry."

Percy and Jason looked at each other in bewilderment. Annabeth awkwardly accepted the homeless man's apology, before briskly walking off. Looking in his eye deeply disturbed Annabeth. She felt as if she gazed into a thousand tragic lives.

Percy decided to break the ice. "Well that was weird".

Annabeth mumbled, "I just wish we can find this stupid sphinx."

A crash, and then several screams followed. Annabeth's wish was fulfilled.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The sphinx was a truly bizarre site. She had a face that belonged to a former model, with striking cheekbones, and an elegantly long neck. But below that was the body of a lion, covered in grubby fur, and razor sharp claws. On her back, were two magnificent bronze wings, that could cover the whole sky. She was mauling on a toyota sedan, with her two terrifying fangs. The grotesque site had luckily driven away almost everyone around them. Percy unsheathed riptide. The ludicrous hybrid cocked her head at the gang. Her eyes showed you the most painful moments of her life, she saw her and Percy trekking through Tartarus. She also saw her,as a kid, running away from home. The sphinx was said to be the demon of misfortune and destruction. She couldn't move. The sphinx flashed her grotesque fangs. In a flash second, she leaped at them with lightning quick speed.

The gang were dropped flat within a second. Annabeth felt a deep pain on her shoulder. She put her hand on it, it was gushing bright red with blood. Jason and Percy were in no better shape. Jason was pushed back against a wall. But Percy, who bore the brunt of the attack, was lying still. Annabeth's heart sunk, her whole body was ready to break down. Then he coughed some blood, and cursed. Annabeth collapsed in relief. Tears were running down the sides of her face. The cursed sphinx was hovering around, waiting for another attack.

Then a man stumbled past them. He had a long grey beard, and a look of confusion, as if he was on a bad trip. It was the bum who asked for change. The sphinx seeing the new meat, sprung towards the bewildered hobo. But the sphinx went crashing down in the rough asphalt.

The bum was on the ground, tackled by the mullah from before. He looked at her with shock.

"The hell is going on?!"

He stood back up, when the sphinx caught eye of the man who stole her meal. In another split second, she surged at him. Annabeth tried to stop it, but she was too wounded from the previous attack. She imagined the sphinx mauling on the poor man's remains.

But when she looked up, she couldn't believe her eyes. The sphinx was biting on a 35 inch sword. The vagrant had a look of shock, as if he couldn't believe the sight himself. When he looked in the sphinx eyes, it wasn't a look of fear, but blood thirsty anger.

The sphinx let go, and flew back. Instead of trying for another lunge, she started chanting ominously, in ancient Greek. Her dyslexic brain automatically translated it.

 _Fool, follower of the ONE. You belong not in this world. Your god will not help you now, when I feed on your carcass._

That mad mullah started retorting in latin. The words were powerful enough to make the sphinx hiss a couple paces back. Her latin doesn't come as naturally as Greek, but she roughly translated it to:

 _Begone heathen, or with the tool of LOGOS, I shall send you where he is not._

LOGOS. She heard that word before, but she can't remember what it means. Before she can think about it, the vagrant and the sphinx charged each other. With two swift strikes, he decapitated the beast. The monster that took down three powerful demigods, two the sons of Zeus and Poseidon, was cut to pieces in two moves. The mysterious man looked down at Annabeth. His clothes were torn apart, his face covered in the gunpowder black dust of the recently slain sphinx, his right hand holding that sword. He then promptly collapsed on the ground.

When they managed to garner the strength, she and the gang carried the mysterious vagabond, to Camp Half Blood. The trio were a bit nervous to bring an outsider to the camp, but he did just save their lives. The campers immediately crowded around the foursome. They couldn't believe what their eyes. Three tattered demigods dragging a wino to camp. Chiron walked towards them.

"Children what in gods is-"

When he saw the vagrant, he went silent. The nymphs started murmuring, even the campers started to grow quite.

"Children, bring him the to the big house, NOW"

The gang were confused. Who was this guy? But they followed Chiron's orders.

"Chiron do you know him?" asked Percy

"I'll explain later, now is not the time. The gods will be angry that you brought him here, but it was good for you to bring him."

Annabeth was confused by what he meant. What was supposed to be a routine monster hunt, turned into something that seems beyond what they could have ever imagined.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

They managed to get the mystery man on a bed. He was surrounded by the gang and joined by Dionysus. Percy tried to feed him some ambrosia, but Chiron quickly stopped him.

"Don't. It won't work the same with him"

Everytime we learn more about this man, the less we know.

"Kids, I think it's time you take a break. Dionysus and I will take care of it from here."

"What! If it wasn't for this guy, we could've been lady/bird/lion meat by now, yet we know nothing about this guy", protested Percy.

"And now the gods, for some reason, are now pissed we brought him here", Jason pointed.

Chiron tried to calm the curiosity of the gang.

"Look kids if you ever want to sleep again, you gotta learn to just shut up. If you knew who this guy was, your puny mortal brains would simply just implode"

What is it about this man that apparently would be too powerful to know. A couple hours ago, he was just some grumpy old bum. But Annabeth remembered, looking through his eyes, the pain she saw...and the connection.

"Puny mortal brains. I have a bigger brain than you Wine Dude", retorted Percy.

"Percy, Jason, we should go."

"What! But Annabeth-"

Annabeth gave Percy a "I have a plan look". When they left the big house, Percy asked,

"All right, what's the plan"

"When lights out, we sneak back into the house, ask Mr. Mystery man some questions."

Jason countered,

"You crazy, you know what Chiron would do to us, if they catch us past curfew, with mystery bum"

"Trust me, Chiron doesn't live in the house, he's a centaur, and Mr. D is a barely around. As long as you avoid the harpies, you'll be fine".

Jason nodded in agreement.

"Alright, you convinced me. When do we meet up"

Annabeth laid out the plan.

"At two, we meet up at the stables, the harpies won't hear us over the pegasus snores. Bring Piper and Leo".

It was pitch black, Annabeth, Percy, Piper, Leo, and Jason stood before the big house. "This is crazy", whispered Piper.

Leo was in a more optimistic mood, "I want to meet this guy. Is it true that he's some wino that saved your guys butts."

"Yes, that's why I want to know more about him. This guy, he's not like us. I don't know how, but we're gonna find out", replied Annabeth.

The mystery man was where Annabeth last saw him, thick black beard, ragged bandana covering his left eye. His olive skin shined in the fire. Still in his vagrant clothes, he didn't look like a guy who could single handedly take down a sphinx.

"This is the guy. He looks like the local borracho", said a rather disappointed Leo.

"He sure smells like one", Percy commented.

Piper asked, "who's gonna wake him up?"

For a whole minute, the gang stared at each other. Then Leo stepped up,

"Oh come on guys, even if he turns out to be Hercules, he's on our side isn't he?"

Leo then starts to shake the unconscious man. But the second Leo put his hand on his shoulder, he was thrown back in a chokehold. The whole gang pointed their weapons at the vagrant.

Annabeth eager to stop the commotion, loudly whispers

"Stop!"

The mystery guest's eyes were mad with both anger and terror. They were the eyes of a warrior. He let go of Leo, who collapsed on the ground, gasping for air. He stumbled back, with a look of lost. Annabeth tried to calm him down.

"We're to help. I'm Annabeth, this is Percy, Jason, Piper, and the guy you just strangled was Leo. Leo who was still cradled in the ground, greeted

"Nice to (gasp) meet you"

Annabeth asked, "can I ask what your name is".

"Loh Shim"

"That's a beautiful name", Piper chimed.

"It's hebrew for "noname"."

"Oh"

"I never had a real name. So people started to call me Loh Shim, the man with no name."

"Don't you have a family name", Annabeth inquired.

"I have no parents. One day the local orphanage found me, no basket, no blanket. I never knew my true birthday, but they say around late 20s."

"Damn", broke Leo

"Leo!" chastised Piper

He looked at Annabeth, his eyes made her feel very uncomfortable, as if he's trying to find something...someone. He then looked around the room.

"Eh, where's my coat"

Annabeth glanced at the leather chair, a ragged khaki jacket lay there. Annabeth quickly threw Loh Shim his jacket. He rummaged through the pockets, before taking out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. Percy whispered to her,

"He reminds me of Gabe"

Annabeth replied,

"Gabe doesn't take out a sphinx in two strikes."

A few sparks flew from the lighter, before catching on the ciggy. A puff of smoke flew past Annabeth, it smelt of tar and lung cancer.

"(cough) (cough) can you do that somewhere else", protested Jason.

"Hey, we can't all look as pretty as you blondie"

Jason quickly went red with embarrassment. Leo and Piper giggled. Jason shot them a furious glance. Annabeth quick to get to why she came, asked,

"who are you"

"Me? I'm just a bum"

Annabeth, obviously not happy with that answer,pressed,

"Then how did you kill that sphinx, what were you saying to it. I know it was latin"

"A what, you mean that freak of nature, I dunno. I don't know what you're talking about me speaking latin. I have to be honest, most of yesterday is a fuzzy dream. A pretty batshit dream."

But "what about the sw-"

Annabeth looked at the corner of the room, the sword was lying on the wall. Tentatively she grabbed the handle. The rest of the gang looked in wonder and fear. Leo in awe, said

"I've never seen anything like that in my life"

Annabeth looked closer at the sword. Leo was right, it was like nothing she's ever seen. The design looked medieval, the pommel a beautiful engraved platinum cross, with a striking red jewel in the center. But the blade was most bizzare. It was pure white, but it was covered in a beautiful wavy pattern. A deep fuller ran down the middle. It didn't shine like metal, it was too smooth. It looked...more like stone. Etched in it was a couple words in latin. "Pastoris Virga". The Shepherd's Staff. Annabeth suddenly collapsed, dropping the sword.. Percy dashed forward, hugging Annabeth, he grabbed her just in time.

"Annabeth are you ok"

"Yeah...I'm fine." That sword, something about it felt wrong. No, something about it made her feel wrong, like I've betrayed someone, who...I know someone of great power. Loh Shim looked at the blade, his eyes so wide, it looked as if he just peered into the universe. As if drawn by it, he promptly picked up the sword, and it suddenly started morphing. It soon shifted into two platinum dog tags. With a stunned look, he quickly started feeling around his neck. There were no tags. Annabeth decided she wasn't going to get anything too revealing out of this guy, he didn't know himself. She asked,

"What branch'

"Huh, oh. Army IDF, then American. That's actually how I came to this country."

Percy asked, "how did you end up homeless".

"I grew sick of killing people, so I quit. I studied a little bit, tried to get a civilian job. Me being me, I pissed the wrong people off, couldn't get a stable one ever since. It's not...it's not easy transitioning you know."

Annabeth understood what he meant. In Boston, Annabeth met a lot of veterans, once they got back, they couldn't adapt. They didn't have the money to get treatment, and the VA wasn't much help. So they end up falling down a deep rabbit hole. Loh Shim looked up at Annabeth, with his deep and frightening eyes, and asked

"Who are you?"

That sent a chill down her spine. Who am I? Who is he? She noticed he probably still doesn't understand what happened. She took a deep breath,

"We're half bloods"

"You mean you guys are all mixed race?"

"No..well sort of. We're half man, half god. We're demigods. The world is run by greek gods: Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Athena and such. Occasionally they fraternize with mortals and sire children. That's us. We train here, at Camp Half Blood, training to fight monsters, like the sphinx you just killed."

Surprisingly, his face stayed stoic.

"That sounds about right"

Suddenly a great rumbling came outside camp. Following it was a vociferous bellow.

"Where is he! Where is that bastard, he has a lot of nerve coming here!"

Ares. Chiron did say the gods would be angry that we brought him here. Annabeth kinda expected the god of war to be the first to have beef with him. Percy warned,

"This isn't good. Ares is never good news."

Loh Shim's eyes suddenly grew wide, then turned to rage, pure rage. It's as if he flashbacked to an extremely traumatic moment. He stood up, and opened the door.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The campers made a circle around Ares. Many were confused, excited, or terrified. Clarisse, Are's daughter, stepped forward.

"Dad?! What's happening!"

"Quite my darling. I'm out for some old blood. Where are you! Are you too coward to face me, Outremer."

Loh Shim stepped forward. In his wispy beard and ragged clothes, he looked like a homeless dwarf to the 14 foot god.

"Pagan god of war, you are too cowardly to fight me, a mere mortal, for you know you would surely lose"

Annabeth noticed his use of the word, Pagan. Ares eyes turned bloodshot, "how dare you insult me, outsider." With a freakish grin, he said, "I will enjoy breaking your bones, one by one". He took out a pair of motorcycle keys, then morphed them into a single bladed axe. Loh Shim took out his dog tags, morphing into his arming sword, the crowd gasped. The air of power was so palpable, Annabeth felt if she touched it, she would fly back ten meters. Ares charged forth, he looked like a giant cannonball shooting past them.

Everyone expected the vagrant to immediately be crushed by the force of Ares. If he survived, he would be begging for mercy and forgiveness, promising to be his slave. But what they saw, was Ares struggling to remove his axe from the ground. Loh Shim's sword, under the axe blade. Somehow, this black bearded wino, managed to stick Ares's axe, under full force, into the ground. Loh Shim then thrusted the blade towards Ares, who parried with two long knives. Then he managed to surprise them again, by morphing his sword into a spear, then a bow, and then a rifle. Each strike or parry, the weapon and his form changed. His eyes did not look as if they saw the same thing. Loh Shim looked as if he was in a trance, fighting multiple battles, in multiple periods of times. He even managed to hit a couple good blows. A growingly deep pool of gold ichor was forming, Ares was boiling hotter with rage.

"Stop!"

The voice came from the sky, a chariot was flying down. The passenger was a woman of indescribable beauty, with jet black hair, tied in a greek pony tail. Her eyes were a stunning stormy gray, enough to frighten the most fearsome warrior. Eyes just like hers. Athena...mom. She couldn't believe what she was seeing, and Loh Shim too. He was in shock, his whole frame shaking. It's as if he met someone long thought lost, someone of deep personal importance. Annabeth cried out,

"Mother?!"

Loh Shim then looked at Annabeth in shock, trying to connect the dots. Ares seeing his opponent distracted, took his long knife, and thrust it in his stomach. Loh Shim staggered back, and fell to the ground.

"No!"

Athena horrified, ran towards Loh Shim. Sporting a mournful smile, she cradled him on her knees. Bleeding heavily, Loh Shim tried to say a few words, but was too wounded to say anything comprehensible. Athena then shot a frightening glare at Ares, she looked as if she could raze a whole city.

"What have you done!"

"I protected my honor"

"You fool, you were born specifically without honor"

"Step aside, I'm protecting our side"

"I don't come alone. I come with orders from father. You wouldn't dare defy father."

"Dammit Woman! You can't protect him forever."

"Watch me!"

Ares reluctantly turned around, and got on his harley, leaving a line of fire. Athena stared at the dying vagabond, looking with such pain and possibly...guilt. She then glanced at Annabeth.

"Annabeth, Perseus, help me carry him to the emergency room."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

In less than an hour, Loh Shim was unconscious again. Except this time, he barely came back alive. It's been two hours since Athena, Annabeth's mom, arrived. Yet she only spoke one sentence to her, and it was about their bleeding guest. Annabeth was in the Camp infirmary, with her mother, Percy and Chiron. Athena then looked towards Annabeth and spoke

"Children I'd like to be alone with Chiron."

"But-"

"Annabeth, that's final."

Angrily Annabeth and Percy left the emergency room. But when they weren't looking, Annabeth snuck back in.

"Where are you going", demanded Percy.

"I'll be back, I have to know what they're saying."

"I dunno, I wouldn't want to anger Chiron and ESPECIALLY your mom"

Annabeth gave Percy a quick kiss on the lips, "Don't worry, I'll put on my cap. Nobody will notice"

Percy still dazed, said "ugh huuuuh".

Athena was gazing at Loh Shim, as if she was looking at the corpse of a close friend, maybe something more.

"What happened to him"

"The curse was never once merciful, answered Chiron."

"Yes, but it was never this bad...at least like this. Before, he at least led a grand life, but now...it's too depressing to even watch"

"Different times require different pains"

"True, but what is with that beard. By gods he looks like a madman."

"One doesn't think about shaving when one is on the streets.

Chiron looks up at Athena. "If I may inquire my goddess, why do you care for him so much."

Athena with a pained expression, responds, " he was a great hero. He fought for knowledge, for country, he even fought for the gods. That must have been very difficult for him. But most importantly, he fought for something, we gods can never understand. He fought for man, for family...for love."

"And whose love was he fighting for."

Athena turned away. "I must go, the more I stay, the more Ares and others will try to convince our father to not protect _Chonoma_. It took a lot of convincing to guarantee his protection now."

 _Chonoma_. Annabeth quickly translated that as Greek for _noname_. She knows his name. This is deeper than she thought. Father is obviously Zeus. Why is Zeus protecting Loh Shim, and why is that so difficult. But how does Mother know him. Why does Mother care so much for this man. The thoughts bring a lump in her heart, and she's afraid to find out why.

It's dinner time in the camp, and Annabeth meets with Percy and the others at the mess hall. Percy asks,

"What did you find out"

"Not enough"

The kids started flooding in. First came the Ares kids, eager to eat. Then came the Apollo kids, playing around with fiddles and harps. The last ones to come were the preppy Aphrodite kids. Piper rolled her eyes.

"By the time I left, they were still brushing each other's hair, and arguing over who has to change clothes, as not to match."

Chiron and Mr. D joined afterwards. Annabeth still remembered Chiron's words.

"And whose love was he fighting for?"

But after Chiron and Mr. D, another figure walked forward. When everyone saw him, the whole hall went silent. A young man walked forward. He looked as if he was in his late 20s to early 30s. He had a fit build, that of a boxer or mma fighter. His skin was olive coloured, his hair jet black, slightly curly. His face was clean shaven, with a chiseled jaw. His face looked a bit worn, but in a rugged way, as if to show I've been through stuff. What gave him away was the rag over his eye. Loh Shim. Annabeth was shocked. The last time she saw him, he was a bearded wino, not this handsome athlete. He limped toward their table. Most stood perfectly still, with the exception of their eyeballs, which were tracking his every movement. Some of the girls were giggling.

"Uh, Chiron said I could sit with you guys."

The table was silent. Again, Leo broke the ice. "We'd be glad to, especially after you just whooped Ares a-

"Leo!", interrupted Piper.

"Just saying", defended Leo, with his arms raised up in defeat. The nymphs, in a whirling tornado, brought down the food. It would make any king envious. On the table was pile of brisket, ribs, steaks, fresh fruits, and gyros. You gotta keep some up to date. Loh Shim looked down at the pile of food.

"This is the worst day to be stabbed in the stomach"

The whole table burst out in laughter. The gang took turns asking Loh Shim questions. Most asked what life was like on the streets, or how he managed to fend off a god.

"Living on the streets is not as bad as you think. Don't get me wrong, it's bad, but if you got a close network of 'friends', you can relatively sleep without the fear of getting mugged."

As for the fighting off Ares, he couldn't really say.

"I honestly don't know. It's like I was in a different dimension, a different time. I don't even know why I fought him."

Annabeth thought of what he said, "a different time". Before she can think too deeply, Chiron raised his chalice and tapped it to get attention. The room went silent.

"Campers, I'm sure you know of our guest. His name is Loh Shim. He may have created a bit of a scene, but I'd like to announce that he would, along with Annabeth, lead camp half blood in the Summer Jamboree."

Both Annabeth and Loh Shim looked at each other in shock, his more of confusion. The Summer Jamboree is a gathering of the Greek and Roman demigods. Every year they engage in war games. The Greeks always lose. Chiron seeing Annabeth's expression, reassured her.

"Don't worry Annabeth. Loh Shim is going to be the greatest partner and asset you'll ever find. The problem is she wasn't worried about that, he proved his prowess today and yesterday, but that's the point. Annabeth isn't comfortable being in a room alone with this guy for several hours.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

 _She was in a palace, great marble columns litter the hall. She sees two people, a woman and a man. A couple. The woman drops to her knees, grabbing the legs of her husband._

" _Please, my lord, don't do this. He's my son...he's your son."_

" _Quiet woman, you know what the prophecy foretold. He is not one of us. Let your motherly sentimentalities go, if you want to live."_

 _Annabeth then saw, the man was holding a crying baby. Most likely snatched from the mother. But what is he doing with him?_

" _From now on, he will be cast down away from the heavens, to be killed at the prime of his age. For if I can't kill him, let his own mortality!"_

" _Noo!"_

Annabeth woke up. At her side was a picture of Percy and her, at her parents house in San Francisco. She remembered her parents making a fuss, since that was his first visit as her boyfriend. Next to that was a picture of her mother with her dad, when they were still dating. Her dad was awkwardly putting his arm around Athena. They had a look of young love, that made her fear what could happen between her and Percy. Their relationship still felt raw. Mother. Her visit yesterday, still made a mark on her. Athena is usually very calm and stoic, she never saw her this emotional. And what was that dream. Who were those two, and what's wrong the the child. Why is he "not one of them"? She'll have to think about it later, right now she has to prepare for the jamboree.

Annabeth walked towards the library. She needed to learn every military strategy and tactic the Greeks ever used to win this one. She was tired of losing to the Romans. But when she opened the doors of the library, she saw another figure. Loh Shim. He was next a growing pile of books. Annabeth remembered he was the only panhandler reading. She decided to walk over to him, after all better than never.

"What your reading"

"Alexander's Military Revolution, by S.J Epstein. Ugh, who made this library, everything here's Greek."

Annabeth a bit miffed replied, "I did".

Loh Shim looked up at her surprised, then smirking. "That seems about right. But seriously nothing Roman, English, French, Modern. It's like this place is stuck in classical Athens."

"Well this is a camp for children of Greek gods."

"Yeah, but you can't just rely on the classical stuff. You can't just read Plato's Republic, and not Aquinas's Treatise of Law. The most influential person on warfare in Medieval Europe, wasn't Alexander, it was the late Roman Vegetius. No wonder you guys keep losing. I mean you do know the Greeks lost to the Romans in 148 BC. Maybe reading a little Roman could have saved your butts last year."

Annabeth was shocked. When she first met this guy, he was some noname drunk, but now he's mentioning Aquinas, and chastising her for being close minded. Who is this guy? Loh Shim decided to change the subject.

"Hey who was that um...lady yesterday."

She thought of Mother, and the way she looked at him. They have a history. "Athena...my mom."

Loh Shim looked at Annabeth in shock, his eyes wide with disbelief. His face turned almost to a look of revelation and possibly even betrayal. Annabeth was eager to understand their relationship.

"How do you know her?"

Smirking, Loh Shim countered, "I never said I knew her. But if you must know, she was always there. When I was an orphan boy in a not so nice neighborhood, she came to my side when the other kids ganged up on me. When I was a lowly sergeant, she convinced me to become an officer. When I was a lieutenant in Golan, she came to me in the local bar, and talked me into accepting the American's offer. She always appeared during major moments in my life...she was like my guardian angel. And now she appeared again...this time as a Greek Goddess."

His response was a major revelation. There history ran deeper than she originally thought. Why was she always there for him? She looked at his now clean shaven face. He was awake during mother's and Chiron's conversation. He cared about her opinions so much, it made him shave. She knew he was holding things back, but she knew it wasn't time to press. Loh Shim looked at Annabeth, with that troublesome smirk.

"Right, let's get to strategy."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

It was training time. All the campers gathered, separated by house. They formed a line of bronze and sneakers. Chiron and Mr. D were at the sides, observing. Or in Mr. D's case, making several quips, while swigging on over carbohydrated grape juice. Annabeth, as leader of the Greeks, was standing at the front. Walking towards her was her co-leader. Loh Shim was casually walking towards them, puffing a cigarette. With his bandana, chiseled jaw, and dispassionate whiff of tobacco, he had an air of swagger and non chalantness. A couple of the Aphrodite girls were giggling and whispering at each other. He raised his hand, as to speak. The whole crowd went silent.

"Last year, you got beat back hard. From what I heard it was pretty embarrassing too."

Some in the crowd grumbled. The jamboree was a pretty sore point in the camp.

"What do the Romans have, that you don't. Organization. Rome once controlled most of the known world. How? They trained and trained, and trained. But unlike you Greeks, they trained together. You Greeks are the finest warriors, but the Romans are the finest soldiers. The best solution would be to be better soldiers than the Romans. But you can't, they've been training since adolescence, some since birth. You can never beat them at their own game."

The crowd started to feel dejected. He's supposed to be their leader, but all he's been doing is giving them a lecture about how much they suck.

"But you're better warriors, one on one, you can take them almost every time. But this isn't one on one."

But then he gave that devilish smirk, as if he had a plan, and you're afraid what that plan is.

"But what if you can. Lure them in where their formation is useless, and they'll have to face you man to man, soldier to warrior. The German chieftain Arminius thought of that in Teutoburg. He defeated the Romans so terribly, two legions were lost. The battle so devastating, the Romans never crossed the river Rhine again. That will be you this year."

The crowd started to murmur. They were getting excited. This guy, this stranger was onto something. Even Annabeth was impressed. Last time, she tried to be better soldiers than the Romans. But the Greeks quickly broke formation, and were beaten down. Loh Shim reached for a spear, but this wasn't a normal spear. This spear was 20 feet long, twice the length of a typical Greek dory. It's a sarissa.

"Today you don't fight like Greeks. Today you fight like Macedonians."

"Uh, didn't the Macedonians get pummeled by the Romans", chimed Leo.

"Yes, but your job won't be to win with the phalanx. Your job is to hold them off."

Annabeth's brain started swinging in full motion, she was starting to get the genius of the plan.

"The phalanx is a distraction"

Loh Shim, grinning at Annabeth,

"Smart girl. The Romans employ a tactic of rotating front lines, meaning they can continue battle, even after six minutes. All you guys have to do is hold them off for enough time, before the true battle starts."

For two months, the Greeks trained with the sarissa. They went from accidentally bashing each other with the staff, to becoming a well oiled pike square. To maintain formation, each phalanx was divided by squares, with a "sergeant", whose main job is to keep everyone in line. Loh Shim also ordered celestial bronze halberds and scale armoured chariots. At the end, they looked more Byzantine than Classical Greek.

Girls who, a couple weeks ago made fun of how he looked like drunken wizard, were now fighting over who got to refill his drink. Overtime Loh Shim got to learn a lot about the camp rules, most he didn't like.

"What do you mean alcohol is banned, I'm an adult."

"Welcome to my hell", quipped Dionysus.

Any attempt to confiscate his cigarette, however was met with an armlock. Aside from his bad habits, Loh Shim showed himself as an able leader. While largely cynical and derisive, he instilled military like discipline. When he wasn't drilling, he was helping the Greeks train in duels. Every challenger ended up eating dirt. Even Percy, one of the best swordsman in the camp, was tripped over in one move. Furious, he went for another strike, only to immediately fall head first in the sand. Everyone would become enchanted with his sword. It was like nothing they've ever seen. Generally Greek swords are short, leaf shaped, and either made with celestial bronze or imperial gold. But this, it's long, medieval and made of stone. It also exerted power, like never seen before. Sometimes, when Loh Shim swung it out, kids would just drop their swords.

Annabeth continues to be perplexed by this mysterious stranger. According to him, he has never fought with a sword in his life, yet he swings it like his own arm. When she met him, he was just a bitter vagrant. But now she sees he has the mind of a philosopher king. I'm pretty sure he'd get along famously with her dad.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

 _She was in the body of a man, a soldier. She looked down, he's wearing a linothorax and corinthian helmet. He's holding a hoplon, but not a xiphos. It's a curved blade, more like a khopesh. She looks at her reflection, there's a tasseled blue cloth around her helmet. Her armour is also dyed blue. She looks around, she's on a boat. Around her are dozens of other similarly dressed men, except they're all absolutely terrified. A great thunder erupts nearby. She's in a sea battle._

 _Suddenly they crash into a ship. They jump overboard. Their enemies are covered in exotic robes and pieces of cloth cover their face. They're much more lightly armed, with small swords and wicker shields. Persians. She must be at the battle of Salamis, the final battle between the Greeks and Persians._

 _They beat back the Persians, cutting down everyone they meet. She sees the captain desperately yelling orders. Her host charges forward, breaks through the Persian lines, cuts the captain down in two lethal strikes. The dying Persian captain, with his last breath, yells_

" _(cough) Fool! Your betrayal will not just cost you (cough)...but also your people! Was it worth it. Did you make your "friends" proud. How have you not learned. They will never take you! She will never take you!"_

Annabeth woke up in a cold sweat. What did that dream mean. Who was that man? Who did he betray? Who was his friends and "she"? Why wouldn't she take him? She looked at the calendar, it was the day of the jamboree. She would have to think about her dream later.

Last time the Romans visited Camp Half Blood, which made the loss so much more humiliating. Now they were fighting on the Romans home turf. Annabeth was worried the plan won't work, Loh Shim's never been to Camp Jupiter. He's mostly relied on Percy and Jason's descriptions. But he's confident about this plan. Speaking of Loh Shim, where is he? For a brief moment, Annabeth is afraid he ducked out last minute. But no, she sees a tall, muscular figure walk forward. He came. He's wearing a mail shirt, khaki pants, steel greaves, and an eastern style helmet. Annabeth gulped, on his helmet is a piece of tasseled blue cloth. The same cloth from the dream. Looking up at Loh Shim, he looks like a soldier from Babylon.

"Nice outfit"

Awkwardly he says, "yeah, I just found it hidden in the attic. I dunno, something about it...felt right"

Chiron, in his centaur form, gallops forward. He's holding an elegantly carved bow.

"Mr. D, the honors."

Mr. D reluctantly steps forth

"Alright, I'm coming."

He summons his pine cone staff. With one thud, a portal to Camp Jupiter opens. Percy is right next her. He gives that irritating smile. No turning back now. She grabs his hand, and takes a step forward.

The sight of New Rome never ceases to amaze her. Outside were 20 foot high walls, in the middle, a massive wooden gate. The walls were protected with humongous ballistas in every tower. The inside was even more magnificent. The city was covered start to finish in marble. But it wasn't sterile and white like the museums. New Rome was splattered with a spectrum of vibrant colors, from red columns to even green statues. Even Loh Shim had his eyes wide open, ignoring to even puff on his cigarette.

They moved towards the forum. It looked just like the one in Rome, but still intact. It was a beautiful marble house. The hall was littered with gold statues of gods and busts of former praetors. The Greeks and Romans intermingled and started catching up. In front of them was a intimidating stage. Loh Shim looked down at Annabeth,

"I gotta go. I need to check out the battlefield, make sure everything goes as plan."

Annabeth, a bit taken back,

"You're not going to stay for the opening speech? I think once the Romans get a good look at you, that might be enough to make them accept defeat", she quipped.

"Nah, gotta keep some mystery, che."

Before she can respond, he disappeared in the crowd. Two figures walked up on the podium. They were wearing lorica segmentata, dazzled with various medals. On their back, were bright purple cloaks. One was a hispanic girl, with a fierce look of determination. The other was a bulky asian kid, with a rather clumsy look, as if he's afraid to trip on his own cloak. Reyna and Frank. They're the two praetors of Camp Jupiter, and close friends. Reyna walked towards the microphone. She tapped it a couple times,

"Testing, testing. Alright. Welcome campers of Camp Half Blood. We are most gracious for you coming to our humble home of New Rome. Now as you know, we Romans won last year."

The Roman crowd immediately started boasting and cheering, yelling

"500 years! 500 years!"

The cheer signified how long the Roman empire lasted. Especially compared the short reign of the Greek equivalent, Alexander. Reyna raised her hand in silence. "This is a symbol of unity and solidarity, Greek and Roman, as one." The crowd started nodding in approval. "Regardless of who wins, this will be a fun event for all. Even though we will win."

The Romans roared. They continued their chant, while the Greeks booed. This was surely going to be a fun time.

While Frank stumbled through the schedule, Reyna walked over to Annabeth. They both had a huge grin on their face. They haven't seen each other since last summer. Reyna and Annabeth were a lot alike, under their cold demeanor was a deeply fragile and scared girl. They embraced each other in a hug.

"You ready to get your butts whooped again"

"Not so fast. We got a secret weapon this time. My co leader is not your typical Greek."

"I heard, where is he, I haven't seen him anywhere."

"He's out surveying the battlefield."

"Well I'm excited to meet him. I think he'd be honoured to see how grand the battlefield he'd get whooped in is."

"We'll see"

They hugged one last time, and Reyna ran back to her cohorts. Annabeth was afraid Reyna might be right. Percy walked forward. He was wearing bronze breastplate and greaves, and had a bandana on his forehead. Seeing him made her heart skip a little bit. He looked like he just came back from surfing and hunting monsters at the same time. He ran towards her, kissed her on her forehead. She felt like she flew a couple inches off the ground.

"So wise girl, do you think plan will actually work. It seems a bit too mad, don't you think."

"It's definitely mad. But Loh Shim is a madman. I think this is so crazy, it'll work like clockwork."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The two sides met at the field. The Greeks formed a line of glowing bronze. Opposite of them, was a uniformed array of steel, wooden rectangular shields, and imperial gold.

The whole field was surrounded by a dense forest. The romans were set around the hill. The Romans were divided between the attacking force, and the reserve in the rear. The rear was huddled on the top of the hill, while the front was surrounding it. Reyna was at the back with the rear, while Frank led the front lines. The Romans were almost identical in their segmented plate armour. Historically, these were only worn by the best of the best in the entire empire. The Romans marched in unison, before falling in formation. Annabeth always envied the military level discipline and conformity of the Romans. The romans locked their shields, creating a massive click, that could be heard miles away. They then took out their gold gladius, and started knocking them on their shields, creating an ominous tone.

Some of the campers started to tremble. Loh Shim then walked up the backs of the front line. He stood with such authority, he exuded confidence through the ranks. In the far front were the Hecate kids chanting some spells, if they failed, there would be a lot of kids in the emergency room today. Soon, they ran back behind the front line. In a dominating tone, he yelled,

"Pikes up!"

Immediately a hedge hog of pikes flew up. The pike line was so thick, it looked like the a giant chainsaw. Loh Shim then swung out his sword, the power could be felt throughout the field. Annabeth wouldn't be surprised if the Romans felt it too.

"March!"

The pile wall marched in unison, yelling, "One! Two!" Like they practiced. In front of them, Frank rode up, yelling,

"Martii!"

Latin for march. The romans marched also in unison. When the two sides seem to come close to fighting range, Frank ordered the Romans to stop. He then yelled,

"Pilo!"

Immediately, the romans took out their javelins, called pilums. Pilums had a special elongated tip, that was meant to bend and stick in the shield, making the shield useless.

"Mittent!"

Immediately afterwards, the sun was blotted with a hundred javelins, all heading straight for them. Loh Shim, even under being a hundred flying spears, remained stoic. But when the pilums finally fell down, all they hit was grass. The romans looked at each other confused. Suddenly a mist appeared, then immediately disappeared. Behind the targetless pilums, were the Greeks. The Hecate magic worked. They managed to use the mist to fool the Romans of the actual distance of the Greeks. Loh Shim, with that ever so devious smirk, yelled,

"Hold!"

The Pikes went up again. They created an impenetrable wall of spears. Frank, after getting out of his initial confusions, yelled

"Martii!"

The Romans then marched toward the wall of pikes. It was truly an epic site. Pike against gladius, celestial bronze vs imperial gold. Frank, still in the front lines, hacking at the poking spears, yelled

"Duo Linnae!"

Two lines. The Romans then formed two checkerboard lines. They're trying to use the same tactic they used against the Greeks in Pydna. For a moment, it seemed like it was working, the pike line started to lose cohesion, but the sergeants managed to fix ranks. For now the Greeks kept in formation. The stubborn Romans, kept marching on. The ten man rotation, managed to keep them fighting without breaks. The Greeks, even though they forced distance, were being pushed back to the forest. Step by step, the Greeks fell back, until they had their backs to the tree trunks. The Roman morale was growing, Annabeth could hear the Romans chanting, "Greek kebabs! Greek kebabs! By that point, Loh Shim, yelled

"Retreat"

The Greeks immediately broke formation, and ran towards the forests. The romans eager to claim their victory immediately chased after them. The forest was so thick, barely any sunlight escaped the trees. The romans were close on their tails. While running, Annabeth tripped over a tree root. When she looked up, a centurion was right on top of her. Before he could whack her, a fully armoured hoplite jumped right on top of him. All over, Greeks were raining down. The Romans just discovered they just got caught in a and right, gladius and xiphos were clanging each other. The short gladius and heavy scutum work perfectly in tight lines, but alone, they were no match for the leaf like xiphos and and round hoplon. The Romans were getting picked off, one by one. Romans have been drilled to fight as a team, they were soldiers to the core. They're eagerness to run after the Greeks, made them lose any sense of cohesion. They were not ready to fight one on one, like they were doing now in the forest. It was Teuteberg all over again.

Annabeth got up, she took out her dragon tooth sword, crafted from the depths of Tartarus. She charged toward a helpless Roman. She immediately disarmed him with one move, and kicked him down. Another charged her from the back, but Percy jumped down, flattening him in the process. Percy, who was in charge of the ambush, was having the time of his life. With a shield in one hand, and riptide in the other, he was whipping centurions, left and right. Ten Romans charged him, he washed them down from a nearby pond. Greeks are trained to use their powers to their advantage. Leo was shooting flames like pyro. Jason trapped a couple legionnaires in a mini tornado.

Eventually the Romans, blew their horns. A sign of retreat. The Greeks roared in victory, phase one was complete. Loh Shmi walked up to Annabeth. Before she saw him kicking down Romans, like a schoolyard bully. His mail shirt and helmet lining was swishing around. His nose guard was engraved with hebrew. Filled with adrenaline, and a devilish grin, he said,

"Now for phase two"


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Reyna

Reyna was getting anxious, the Romans were in the forest far too long. Soon a trickle of shadows started coming out. Romans. But they didn't look victorious, many were wounded and battered. Reyna cursed, they must have been ambushed. Frank was in the back, most likely staying in the rear, to allow the rest to escape. When what's left of the front line managed to limp back in safety, Reyna ordered closed ranks. They would bunker down on top of the hill.

A subtle rumble was felt on the ground. The rumble grew bigger, and bigger, until the earth was literally shaking. Out of the trees, a line of fully armoured war chariots flew out. Literally flew out. They were driven by pegasi, each covered head to toe in bronze scales. Reyna yelled,

"Tetsudo!"

The Romans covered their entire body in shields. But the chariots didn't swerve to shoot arrows. They just kept flying forward, at top speed. The tight Roman formation was starting to tremble. Reyna dug her feet in, she was going to win this game of chicken. The sounds of the horses wings got louder, they sounded like jet engines. The ground was shaking as if they were bearing down an earthquake. The horses were so close, they could the pupils. They were ten meters away...five meters...two meters….one meter. The horses, at full speed, in bronze armour, were inches away. Some dropped their gladius, she saw one wet his pants. But right when the chariots were right in front of them, they flew up. Some collapsed in shock.

But immediately after the horses flew up, the Romans were met with wedges of angry Greeks, each fifteen ranks deep. The front line was led by a fully armoured halberdiers, behind them were fully decked out hoplites. The fearsome look of the corinthian helmet was terrifying enough to break Roman morale. The Roman lines immediately collapsed. Hordes of latins toppled down the hill, desperate to escape. But when they came to the bottom, they were met with a wall of sarissas. A circular pike wall appeared around the hill. They were surrounded. Reyna seeing no hope of getting out of this, bitterly told Frank to raise the white flag. They've been outsmarted. The Greeks have won...on Roman soil.

The Greeks cheered in victory. Reyna was eager to meet the mysterious man who outsmarted the Romans. Two figures emerged. One was a pretty young blonde, but with stormy grey eyes that didn't match. Annabeth. The other was an adult. His armour was not Greek, it looked more oriental. He was wearing mail, and had a blue tassel around his helmet. This must be the mystery co leader. Something about him made her feel like she knew him. Annabeth stepped forward,

"Reyna, this the mastermind behind the battle. Loh Shmi."

"Loh Shim"...she heard that name before. But where? The mystery man took off his helmet.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Annabeth

When Loh Shim took off his helmet, both praetors went stiff...especially Reyna. Reyna was in shock, her eyes were as wide as plates. She was shaking. Frank wasn't much better, he was also frozen. Loh Shim looked at the two with bewilderment. He obviously never met them, but those two acted like they did. Loh Shim decided to break the ice.

"Nice to meet you. I'm assuming you're Reyna. And you're Frank. Annabeth said a lot of great things about you, and it showed. You were truly formidable opponents."

The two Romans stayed silent, still in some sort of shock. Loh Shim awkwardly kept talking,

"I mean you still lost. It wasn't too difficult. Not saying that you sucked! But..um..I'm just saying that as an adult…I'll just stop talking and allow you to awkwardly stare at me."

Frank got out his trance, and shaked his hand.

"N..nice to meet you Loh Shim. I am honoured to lose to you."

After the battle, the Greeks and Romans gathered in the mess hall. The Greeks, energized by their surprise victory, were creating quite a scene. Many were dancing on tables and wrestling each other. Even the Romans got caught up in the festivities. Loh Shim was the star of the show. Many were patting him on the back and he was caught up in a countless number of toasts. He finally managed to escape the crowd, and hang out in Annabeth's table. Reyna was with them, refusing to talk. All she would do is stare at him. Hazel was with them, and was the only Roman in the gang not to be in a state of shock.

"Where did you meet this guy, cuz man that stuff out there was insane! I really thought those horses were going to trample us."

Leo decided to do the introduction for Loh Shim.

"Apparently he saved Annabeth, Percy and Jason's butts. They were getting kicked around by this sphinx, and this wino comes out, takes out a sword and cuts it down in two strikes."

"Damn, you don't see that everyday. Last time, it took half a cohort to take down a sphinx."

Percy came back from partying. His hair was disheveled and he was pouring with adrenaline. He immediately pounced on Annabeth, trapping her in a big passionate kiss. Annabeth couldn't feel anything but Percy's mouth, her heart felt like it was going to explode. She quietly murmured,

"whhh...wha.."

The rest of the table roared in laughter. Loh Shim took out a ciggy, blowing the tobacco in everyone's face.

"You really love each other don't you"

Percy, who had his arm around Annabeth, replied

"You betcha! Wise girl and I...we go way back. I can't remember what life was like before I met her. I just remember it wasn't great."

Annabeth dug her head in his arms. She felt the same way, she also couldn't imagine what life without Percy would be like. Well she can remember, and it was one of the most painful times in her life. At least with Tartarus, they were together. Loh Shim retorted,

"You say that now, but in two years. You're still high school che. I don't know anyone who's still together from high school."

Percy started to get angry.

"Hey we ain't any high school couple. We went from Olympus and Tartarus together...LITERALLY. I'd put my life down for her."

Annabeth really wished Percy didn't say that. Demigods put their life on the line everyday. The thought of Percy dying, especially because of her...it was too sickening to think about. Loh Shim smirked,

"You think that now, but when you graduate..who knows. College is a major decision. Are you really going to give up opportunities for your high school sweetheart."

Perch getting angrier, retorted

"We already made up our decision! We plan on studying in New Rome together."

Annabeth interrupted,

"Well I'm not so sure about that"

"Annabeth?"

"It's just who knows what'll happen when school ends. There's a lot of different choices. I don't want to cut them off just yet."

Annabeth regretted looking up at Percy. He looked like she just stabbed him in the heart. His face then went from hurt to fury. He yelled at Loh Shim,

"This is all your fault. Why do you have to hurt other people. Just because you're a bitter, pathetic, old vagrant, doesn't mean you can make us all feel how much of a loser you are."

Loh Shim drew a murderous glare.

"Hey, watch your words kid. All I did was give you some advice. Not my fault your girlfriend doesn't want to throw away her life 'cuz of you."

"That's not true!" clarified Annabeth.

The liquid from the chalice's started to rise. This isn't good. Annabeth tried to quell Percy's rage.

"Percy! Don't!"

"Listen to your girlfriend kid. Don't start something you can't win."

Suddenly the liquid dropped back in the cup. Annabeth was relieved. But then she noticed he was looking up, stunned. So was everyone else. The whole room went silent. Loh Shim confused asked,

"What the hell is going on?"

He then looked above his head, and for once he shut up. Above his head was a hologram. A Peacock. The symbol of Hera. Annabeth was blown back. This isn't possible. Holograms only appeared when gods claimed their children. But this...this doesn't make any sense.

All of a sudden one of the kids yelled,

"Blasphemy!"

All the demigods then pointed their weapons at Loh Shim.

 **End of Book 1**


End file.
